IWC Masters students descend on Gippsland Water

Eight IWC Master of Integrated Water Management students visited Gippsland Water to experience integrated water management in practice.

Managing Director of Gippsland Water, David Mawer, invited the IWC Masters students to visit Gippsland and experience a week or two with the water corporation where integrated water management is part of every day operations.

“Gippsland Water is a good example, in that we have a fully integrated operation managed from the catchment to the beneficial use of recycled treated domestic and industrial wastewater and biosolids, so it affords a great opportunity for the students to learn”, Mr Mawer said.

Learning through observation and inquiry, they were guided around many of Gippsland Water’s key sites including the Moondarra Dam, the Gippsland Water Factory and the Soil and Organic Recycling Facility at Dutson Downs.

They also had the opportunity to view and learn about the complex information and risk and compliance systems and processes that support the delivery of Gippsland Water’s services.

Reflecting on her two week experience in Gippsland, Chisha Chongo Mzyece from Zambia spoke with WIN TV of her surprise at the integrated nature of Gippsland Water’s business. “It does everything from capturing the water, storing it, and treating it as well as distributing it to the clients,” she said.

The students were also able to observe the community consultation process Gippsland Water was engaging in for Draft Water Plan 3. The idea of engaging with the community on planning and pricing was an idea that appealed to Beatriz Reutter from Chile, who told WIN’s reporter that it was something that Chile could learn from.

The student placement has been an enlightening experience for everyone associated with it and enabled Gippsland Water employees to see their own work through the eyes of others.

For the students, Mr Mawer suggests that their theoretical knowledge was enhanced by the practical placement. “The reality is that this sort of workplace experience adds lasting value to understanding the application of theory in practice,” he commented.

“The students have gained a great deal from the experience. So too have the Gippsland Water’s employees who engaged with the students, and I would encourage other water corporations to put their hand up to host similar groups in the future,” said Mr Mawer.